A boater and his pooch were plucked from the remnants of their shipwrecked sailboat in a daring Coast Guard rescue in South Carolina last week.
The drama unfolded around 6:15 p.m. Friday, when the Coast Guard received a distress call from the stranded boater, who said his craft the Chusan had run aground on rocks near Winyah Bay.
The maritime agency dispatched an MH-65 Dolphin chopper out of its Charleston station, and the stranded boater and his dog were both eventually lifted off the wrecked vessel’s deck and to safety, dramatic video footage of the rescue operation showed.
“Our crews train extensively to respond to situations like this, and we’re grateful the mariner had a working VHF radio to call for help,” Coast Guard Lt. Josh Hamilton said in a statement.
“Running aground can quickly become dangerous, especially near rocks and shifting conditions,” Hamilton said. “We encourage all boaters to carry proper communication equipment and continuously monitor Channel 16 so we can respond without delay when every second counts.”
The boater and his pup were flown to Georgetown Airport but were not seriously injured in the mishap, according to the Coast Guard. The boater was not identified.